Shingling-bracket.



No. 718,963. PATENTED'JAN. 20, 1903. J. w. FARR.

SHINGLING BRACKET.

AIPLIUATION FILED JULY 23, 1902.

no MODEL.

UNITED dramas arnrvr OFFI E.

JOHN W. FARR, OF MARIGN, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SAMUEL II.DAVIS, OF MARION, INDIANA.

SHINGLING- BRACKET.

SPECilFl-KGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,963, datedJanuary 20, 1903.

Application filed July 23. 1902. Serial No. 116,686. (No model.)

To to whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. FARR, a citi zen of the United States,residing at Marion, iu the county of Grant and State of Indiana, haveinvented a new and useful Shingling- Bracket, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to devices employed more particularly for thepurpose of supporting the workmen and their supplies upon roofs whileattaching shingles thereto, but which may be adapted for use in otherlocalities and for other purposes.

The object of the invention is to produce a device simple inconstruction, easily and readily applied, and in which the supportingmeans for the weight is caused to lock the device in position whenapplied and which will require no outside means to enable the device tobe attached to the roof or other part of a structure.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, ashereinafter shown and described, and specified in the claims.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of the device complete. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partially insection.

Devices of this character are usually designated as shingling-bracketsand are employed upon roofs while attaching shingles thereto anddisposed at suitable intervals to support the footboards for the feet ofthe workmen and also to assist in supporting the supplies of shinglesand other material and tools. The device may also be employed withslight modifications for the purpose of securing staging upon the sid esof buildings and in many otherlocalities, and I do not, therefore, wishto be limited in the use of the device to any particular locality or forany particular purpose and reserve the right to employ the device forany purpose and in any locality to which it is applicable.

The device consistsin a base-plate 10, having an offset 11 to cause thebase to conform to the shingles applied to the roof and with its upperend 12 formed comparatively thin and in elongated wedge shape, so thatit may be inserted for a considerable distance beneath the butt-ends ofthe shingles already attached to the roof. In attaching the plate theupper end 12 will preferably be forced beneath the upper row of theshingles, while the offset 11 will rest in engagement with the butt-endof the next lower row of shingles, as shown in Fig. 2, wherein one ofthe shingles of the uppermost row is represented at 13, one of thebutt-ends of the next row at 14, and one of the shingles of the next rowat 15.

In operation these brackets are applied to the uppermost row ofshingles, and then when the shingles have been applied as far as theworkmen can reach, generally three or four feet upward on the roof, thebrackets are detached and moved upward and again engaged with theuppermost row, and so on until the roof is complete.

The base is provided with a longitudinalslot, (indicated at 16,) andwithin this slot a lever 17 is movably supported and pivotally connectedat 18 between ears 19, the ears extending upward at the sides of theslot 16 from the base 10, as shown. The upper end of the lever 17 isprovided with a transverse plate 20, preferably formed integraltherewith and adapted to engage the outer surface of the shingle beneathwhich the end 12 of the lever 10 has been projected, as indicated inFig. 2. The lever 17 is formed with an ofiset 29, extending downwardinto the slot 16, and with its outer upper face inclined, as shown at27.

The plate 20 will be equal in width to the plate 10 and will registerwith the flattened end 12, as indicated in Fig. 1, the two parts 12 20thus forming comparatively broad jaws, engaging opposite sides of theshingle 13.

The plate 20 is provided with one or more spurs 22, extending downwardand adapted to engage the upper surface of the shingle 13, and therebyinsure the proper grip between the parts, and the lower end of the plate10 will likewise be provided with one or more spurs 23, adapted toengage the shingle to still further increase the grip of the device.

Attached flexibly by one end to the upper end of the plate and by theother end to the lower end of the plate 10 is a supportingbracket formedof two arms 2 25, the shorter arm 24: connected by ears 26 and pivot 30to the plate 20 and the longer arm 25 similarly connected by ears 28 andpivot 31 to the plate 10, as shown. The arm 24 is forked at its outerend and adapted to embrace the arm 25 a short distance down from itsupper end, whereby an extension 32 is formed to retain the platform orfoot bar in place, as hereinafter explained. The two portions 24: 25 areunited by a pivot 33, so thata slight degree of play is permittedbetween the parts 24: 25. The pivots 3O 31 likewise afford a slightdegree of movement between the lower ends of the arms 24 25 and thelever 17 and the base 10, respectively, so that when attaching anddetaching the device the requisite movement of the lever 17 will bepermitted. The lever 17 thus possesses the requisite degree offlexibility to enable it to perform itswork, while at the same time theload-supporting members 24 25 have a toggle action and will eX- erttheir force to maintain the lever and base-plate in positive and firmengagement with the shingles, as will be understood,the weight placed onthe arms 24: and 25 causing the clamping member 20 of the lever 17 andthe lower end of the base-plate to firmly engage and clamp thesupporting-surface. It will be noted by this arrangement that when thedevice is to be applied the depression of the lower end of the lever 17will cause it to engage the supporting-surface and act as a fulcrum, sothat the clamping member 20, attached to the upper end thereof, will bemoved away from the end 12 of the base-plate 10, whereby the end 12 maybe slid under the shingle 13 until the shoulder 21 engages its lower orbutt end. When the bracket is to be removed, this depression of thelower end of the lever 17 into contact with the supporting'surfacecauses the clamping-jaws to open and release the device from theshingle. It also causes the lower end ofthe plate to move upward out ofengagement with the supporting-surface.

In applying the bracket after the end 12 has been slid under theshingle, as 13, the lever 17 is released and the bracket-arms forcedagainst the plate 20 and the lower end of the plate 10, which will causethe plate 20 to engage the outer surface of the shingle 13 and projectthe spur 22 therein and also project the spur 23 on the plate 10 intothe shingle 15, and thus complete the coupling between the parts.

When it is desired to detach the bracket, it is necessary only to graspone of the arms 24 or 25 and pull slightly thereon,which causes the endof the lever 17 in the slot 16 to project therethrough and engage thesupportingsurface beneath it, thereby causing its opposite end carryingthe plate 20, which forms the movable jaw of the clamp,to open andbecome disengaged from the shingle 13. In this position the end of thelever 17 acts as the fulcrum, the entire bracket being the lever actingon said fulcrum, and the pulling exerted on the arms also causes thelower end of moved to another place.

the plate 10, carrying the spur 23, to move upward out of contact withthe supportingsurface in the form of the shingle 15,and the bracket maythen be readily slipped out and It will thus be seen that no screws orsimilar devices are necessary to the operation of the device.

These devices will be arranged at as frequent intervals as required toproperly support the platform, which will rest across the arms 24 and beheld in place by the projections 32. These platforms are generallysections of scantling of suitable length, and the brackets will belocated at the proper distances longitudinally of the roof to insure asafe support for these scantlings, with which the feet of the workmenengage while attaching the shingles.

By the construction of this device it will be obvious that the weightapplied to the portion 24 25 will exert a strong downward force upon theplate 20 and firmly grip the parts 20 and 12 upon the shingle 13 andalso firmly force the lower end of the plate 10 into engagement with theshingle 15, and any increase of weight will serve to increase the gripbetween the parts, so that the greater the Weight and pressure broughtto bear against the scantling or other platform the greater,correspondingly, will be the hold of the device upon the roof and thetendency to slip or release its hold correspondingly decreased. Thechances for the failure of the device to perform its work are thereforeextremely remote and the safety and efficiency correspondinglyincreased.

The whole device is extremely simple and consists of few parts, andtherefore not liable to become disarranged.

The different parts of the device will be constructed, preferably, ofmalleable iron, and the parts will be proportioned to withstand thestrains and pressure to which they will be subjected.

The device may be of any size and the proportions changed and modifiedto adapt the device to the various purposes for which it may beemployed.

The device may be employed under certain conditions and with slightmodifications to support staging or other structures upon the sides ofbuildings by adapting the parts 12 and 20 to engage the clapboards orsiding instead of shingles, as will be readily understood.

The device might also be employed with slight modifications forsupportingthe workmen while attaching slates or tiles to roofs, buildingchimneys,and attachingcrestingand other ornaments, or in repairingroofs; but these modifications would not be a departure from theprinciple of the invention or sacrifice any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. Ashingling-bracket comprising a baseplate and a lever pivotally connectedat an intermediate point, provided at their upper ends Withshingle-engaging clamp members and adapted at their lower ends foralternate contact with a supporting-surface, the baseplate beingprovided at its lower end with shingle-engaging means, andpivotally-connected bracket-arms having their remote extremitiesconnected respectively with the clamp member of the lever and with thelower end of the base-plate.

2. A shingling-bracket comprising a baseplate having a longitudinal slottherein, alever pivotally connected at an intermediate point to saidbase-plate and havingits upper end spaced therefrom and provided with ashingle-engaging spur and the other end movably disposed in said slotand adapted to extend therethrough, and connected bracketarms havingtheir extremities connected to the upper end of the lever and to thelower end of said base-plate respectively.

3. A shingling-bracket comprising a baseplate having a shingle-engagingclamp memher at its upper end to engage the under side of a row ofshingles and with an offset adapted to engage the butt-ends of the nextlower row of shingles, a lever pivotally supported upon said base-plateand having at its upper end a shingle-engaging clamp member adapted toengage the outer surface of the shingle engaged by the clamp member ofthe base-plate, the other end of said lever being oflset to correspondwith the offset of said base-plate,said offset end of said lever beingadapted for contact with a su pporting-surface,and connected bracketarms coupled respectively to the clamp member of said lever and to thelower end of said base-plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. FARR.

Witnesses:

FRANK SCHWARTZ, WILLIAM H. BROWN.

